Undecided
by Just Being The Lavender
Summary: Some had kidnapped the children and had people raise them to age 5-6. They were left on their own then. But thanks to Kurama sealed inside of Naruto, foxes took interest in the children and helped take care of them. But now, at ages 12 to 13, the foxes have disappeared and the kids are left alone. Read how they survive and find their families. POSTPONED INDEFINITELY
1. Unhappy

_**Because I'm too lazy to make the first chapter about how this stuff came to be, I shall explain here. The Kyuubi's attack was not as bad because Madara was not controlling it. He was quite easy to seal into Naruto. Minato and Kushina lived. :3 So Minato is still Hokage. But Naruto and the main characters were all kidnapped on the same day, the day after Naruto was born. No one knew who took them nor where they were. Teams still sometimes go out to find the missing children, twelve years later, but never come back with anything.**_

_**Some had kidnapped the children and had people raise them to age 5-6. They were left on their own then. But thanks to Kurama sealed inside of Naruto, foxes took interest in the children and helped take care of them. But now, at ages 12 to 13, the foxes have disappeared and the kids are left alone. Read how they survive and find their families.**_

_Chapter One: Unhappy_

_Hope requires the contender _

_Who sees no virtue in surrender._

_From the cradle to the bier,_

_The heart must persevere._

_-The Book of Counted Joys found in the book _Odd Thomas_._

_Sniff sniff, sniff sniff sniff._

"Kiba, what do you smell?" A cool voice asked the boy sniffing at the ground. His voice wasn't warm, nor cold, and clearly the owner was expecting an answer. The boy sniffing at the ground looked up, revealing his wet tattooed face and dog-like features. He shook his head in hopes to rid himself of the water in his spikey brown hair.

"We're close to a village…. Akamaru thinks so too. Despite the rain, it's a strong scent." The dog-like boy, Kiba, looked up at the boy with damp black hair standing next to him. A little tan puppy barked, acknowledging his name and agreeing to his friend, master's, words. "Which means we can find food, and maybe better shelter." Excitement tinted his voice, and made his eyes light up with hope.

The group of children had hardly found any food in the past few days, and various streams along with heavy rains had provided water to fill themselves and their old canteens. Weather had hardly been kind to them, the heavy and chilly rain giving them stuffy noses and chills.

It was endless it seemed, and the forest offered little protection from the merciless downpour. It seemed to be laughing at the children's effort to survive and decided to make their time worse. There were a few sneezes from a pale eyes and dark haired girl, soon followed by a couple of coughs. The black haired boy looked at her, then at the sniffling others. "Don't worry, we'll be in a village soon. Hopefully we can get you all warm."

He wouldn't admit it, but he himself was chilled to the bone thanks to the rain. Sasuke covered up his sniffles, trying to seem stronger than the rest. He always was the cool headed leader, no one could doubt that. But it didn't mean that a blonde haired, blue eyed boy didn't challenge him at every turn. Said boy was currently too busy trying to stay warm to try and take the lead. He was fine with Sasuke being the leader and Kiba showing them the way with the help of his great nose, along with Akamaru's.

Neji stood by his younger cousin Hinata, the one who'd been sneezing and coughing the most. He was trying his best to shelter her and offer his warmth. But at the mention of a village, and a look from Sasuke, he activated his eyes. He wasn't sure why he and his cousin, who he thought might be his sister, had the pale pupil-less eyes that when fed chakra could allow them to see anything with the help of the chakra, but only in a certain area.

Sure enough, he spotted some people, most in clusters. There were all sorts of things in the area east of them, indicating a village. "Kiba and Akamaru are correct." Neji said with that smart sounding tone of his. "There is a large village within my range. Let's hurry."

"Aw come on," A lazier tone of voice stopped them. It was Shikamaru, slumped against a tree slick with rain water, obviously tired. "We've been going for hours, let's rest a bit."

"No." His time it was the pink haired female, Sakura. "The quicker we get there, the quicker we're sheltered. Hinata and Naruto are having a hard time thanks to their colds. We need to get them dry, along with the rest of us, before we get any worse."

"Come on, Shikamaru," A chubby male said before a sneeze interrupted him. "I'm cold and wet, and so is everyone else."

Shikamaru let out a long, somewhat dramatic sigh as he stood back up and stretched, then shook some of the moisture off his hair and clothes. "Fiiiinne. Let's get going."

Sasuke and Kiba, with Akamaru, took the lead. They set an easy pace as the leapt through the trees, Sasuke looking back at times to see how everyone was faring. Everyone helped one another, it was how the group worked. They were like a pack of wolves, always looking out for one another. No one was left behind, ever.

It was how they worked ever since they could remember. Was it before or after their fifth and sixth birthdays? They weren't sure. Maybe it was natural of their kind, humans. Since most could remember, they lived with foxes. Said creatures weren't exactly pack animals. The group didn't remember their caretakers from all those years ago, the human ones. Contact with humans other than their former caretakers was little to none.

This would be their first real interaction with humans. Sasuke was nervous, just as much as the others. He wondered if humans were friendly and looked out for one another like his little pack. But he wasn't sure. It would be brand new to him.

As they neared the village, the rain began slowing to an annoying drizzle. But it was lighter than before, which the whole group gave thanks for, but still wished it would completely stop.

Sasuke's mind was brought back from this thinking when he heard most of the group suck in an awed breath. He stopped, ahead of the group thanks to his delayed reaction. "What?"

"We're here…" A whispery, excited voice came from Tenten. "At the village the foxes always talked about… It's huge!"

Even though the skies where cloudy and the now light rain made the view fuzzy, the village was astonishing. Even Sasuke found his interest peaked and took in a delayed breath of surprise.

It was huge, that village the foxes talked about, as Tenten had put it.

Neji, with his eyes deactivated but not what you could call normal, had his mouth open in amazement. Hinata, around her sneezes and sniffles, was looking out with wide eyes. Tenten stood next to them, a hand covering her mouth in surprise. "It's beautiful, even on this dreary day. Is that really what's called a village..? Other humans _made _this?!"

Choji and even Shikamaru were open mouthed, still as could be. Ino stood beside them, squealing quietly in happiness. "Yayyy! We'll get to see what other people look like!"

And leave it up to Naruto to try and waltz in over the large wall that blocked the forest from the village.

Sasuke knew the minute the Junchurriki landed on the wall top, something bad was going to happen. And Sasuke's gut was never wrong. It was what was made him such a great leader. "Naruto! Get back, don't!"

Naruto looked back with a face but not before coughing a few times. "Aw, nothing will happen!" The rest of the group joined in with Sasuke's urging for about two more minutes, and then it all went downhill from there. About four minutes later, everyone stiffened and braced themselves.

There was a flash. A yellow one. Then multiple people appeared, all looking for a fight obviously.

"These kids triggered the alarm?" A bigger man with face markings and a somewhat deep voice said.

"Looks can be deceiving." A man with his black hair in a ponytail replied to the other. "Capture them."

The group of kids leapt back with wide eyes, the stronger immediately going to cover the weaker. Though Naruto wasn't exactly weak, Lee and Shino covered him while Hinata was helped by Neji and Tenten.

"Fall back!" Sasuke yowled, swiping his arm in a gesture telling them to get back. "Everyone, do not let them touch you! Get back into the woods, it's not safe here!"

The group heeded his commands, immediately trying to get away. This made the shinobi confused, wondering who they were and why they were there.

"Stop." Came a powerful command as the children escaped. "Let them go. They haven't harmed anything and obviously fear us."

The shinobi stopped in their tracks. They looked to the blonde haired man who'd ordered them to stop. The man's blue eyes gleamed with curiosity, and with obvious power. "The fear they displayed wasn't fake. And they would have been sneakier. They would not have run if they aimed to hurt us.

"I want a tracker group to go keep an eye on them. Be sure not to be seen, heard, or sensed. If anything is fishy, report back and I will send reinforcements." The man finished off with one last comment. "Some were also sick. They are bound to be weak if it comes to a fight."

"Yes sir, Yondaime-sama!" The group of shinobi chimed. The Yondaime, Minato, quickly issued orders to a few of them. Without another word, the tracker group set off after the children.

What they didn't know, was that they'd stumble into a long awaited reunion.

_Next Chapter: Unafraid_


	2. Unafraid

_After a storm comes a calm._

_-Matthew Henry_

_Never be bullied into silence. Never allow yourself to be made a victim. Accept no one's definition of your life; define yourself._

_-Harvey Fierstein_

It had been three days.

In those three days, they were still being watched. In those three days, another had fallen ill. In those three days, they became more miserable. In those three days, they had run out of food and water. In those three days, everything was falling apart. In those three days, those who were sick got worse. In those three days, they were out of options. In those three days, they realized life always could get tougher. In those three days, they'd gotten mentally stronger. In those three days, they were crumbling.

In those three days, they'd gained the sympathy from everyone who knew about them.

And today, Minato was going to bring them into the village's orphanage for help. At least, until blood tests had been run so they could be given to family. He personally had gone out with Tsume to lead him along with Kuromaru. He hoped that the children would accept the help with little problems. After they were back to health and all that, Minato planned to have them join the village. This year they had a record low of kids in the academy.

It broke it heart, realizing that because kids had been kidnapped that year not many had been saved. That included his own son, the Junnchuriki of the Nine-tailed Fox, Naruto.

Minato was doing this in memory of his son, and all of his friend's children whom had been taken. Minato, by now, had given up most of his hope that they were living, but clung to shreds.

As Tsume led him close, yips and growls exploded from the undergrowth. A small tan puppy leapt out of the bushes, fur bristling as it growled and yapped.

The group stopped and looked at the angry little pup. Minato couldn't help a quiet chuckle. Then he stopped chuckling as a boy appeared, surprise lighting his wide eyes. "Akamaru, get back! Get Sasuke!" The puppy stopped barking and shot away.

The names made both Minato and Tsume perk their ears at the familiarity. But they quickly had to get over that as the boy launched into an attack, a small knife in either hand.

Minato jumped back to easily dodge the child's attack. "Hey-"

He couldn't finish as the boy kept up the attack, not listening. Minato internally sighed, knowing this was a fight he hadn't wanted. "Get away from us!" The child barked. Minato narrowed his eyes, looking more closely at the boy. Surprisingly, he had signature Inuzuka markings on his cheeks.

Kuromaru leapt at the boy, but the boy artfully dodged the jaws of the great dog. Tsume was right behind the boy, catching his arms and stopping him.

"Let go! Let me go!" The boy howled, making Minato wince. That would attract attention. The boy struggled with all his might as Minato used a jutsu to trap him, letting Tsume drop her hold on the boy.

"What's your name, kid?" Minato asked with a warm tone that made the boy narrow his eyes and stop struggling.

"Like hell I'd tell you!" The boy snapped, just as three other kids and the puppy appeared.

"Kiba! You idiot!" The black haired boy, the one who'd yelled for the children to retreat, scowled. "You should have led them away, not directly attack! And you should have had Akamaru howl! We don't know if any people followed him to the others! They might be in danger now!"

The boy, Kiba, gave a whine. "Sorry…"

"Woah woah," Minato put up his hands with a kind smile. "We're the only three. We didn't come to harm you. This was mere self-defense."

"Then let Kiba go. Now. We won't hurt you if you don't hurt us." The black haired boy growled, completely serious.

Minato nodded slowly. This was the kid that was obviously in charge. He was more rational than the boy, Kiba maybe, with the face markings that Tsume was so interested in. "Alright. That's fine." He released Kiba, and the boy scampered over to the other three and scooped up the puppy before looking at the adults with narrowed eyes.

"Thank you. Now what do you want? I have to get back to the others as soon as possible." The black haired boy said with his stoic voice and face. Minato noticed just how much he resembled an Uchiha.

"My name is Minato Namikaze. I am the leader, the Hokage, of the village you tried to enter three days ago. I've deemed you no threat, and I can see you all are suffering and have no place to go. I would like to invite you into the village's orphanage." He explained briefly. "You can decline if you want, but I suggest you come. I know that three of you are sick, and you have no medicine, food, water, or shelter. We can help you."

The boy narrowed his eyes, then looked to the children on their side of him. "Shikamaru."

Another black haired boy, one looking quite bored, frowned a bit. "It would be to our advantage, Sasuke. It had been our goal in the first place. But we don't know anything about these people. Hell, we don't know anything about their village. Common sense says we need help. But logic suspects something, especially since they are about to attack us the one time we tried to enter the village."

"My gut says their trust worthy." Kiba said. "And my nose says their familiar."

"I don't intend to lure you into a trap. I honestly want to help you. You know, I had a son. He would have been your age by now. If he was out there somewhere, hungry, cold, and thirsty, I'd do anything in my power to help. You remind me of my long lost son, and so I want to help you." Minato assured them with that warm tone. But at the mention of his son, a darker note entered his voice. One of sadness and loss.

The boy with his hair up, Shikamaru, looked to the other boy, Sasuke. Then Sasuke looked to the blonde haired girl. "Ino?"

"I think it's a risk we have to take. Hinata and Naruto are getting worse, along with Neji. Tenten seems to be coming down with the same thing. Sakura can't keep up. We at least need help for them." The girl, Ino, sighed softly, giving a sad frown. "They won't get any better out here, and we have thin blankets and no food. Fall is coming, and it's close."

"True enough." Shikamaru nodded. "If we get into trouble, I can always think up a solution to get us out. We've gotten into trouble so many times, and each time I've gotten us out. What do you say, Sasuke?"

Sasuke studied Minato's face intently, searching for any hint of trick. He wasn't sure. It terrified him because he simply _did not know. _He always knew. But he had to decide, and take a few risks. "Fine. We shall come, as long as you take care of our sick." He said in a somewhat reluctant voice. Kiba nodded softly. "Should I go back to camp and have everyone pack up and come here?"

"We can come help you pack up. Just lead us there." Minato offered. Tsume awoke from her trance of staring intently at the children and looked to Minato.

Sasuke nodded slowly and turned before walking towards the others. He was quiet as he led the small group to the still damp makeshift camp. When they entered the small clearing, the first thing Minato spotted was a pink haired girl attending three children who were on blankets and covered with two more. A fourth coughing child sat on the end. The pink haired girl was sweating despite the cool wind blowing. She had obviously been working hard. At the moment she seemed to be mixing up some herbs in a carved bowl-like stone with a rock.

He saw a somewhat chubby boy with face tattoos sitting nearby with a kid dressed in a large coat. They looked worried.

"Sasuke! Hinata's fever isn't going down!" The pink haired girl said with fear mixed into her voice once she spotted the group. Sasuke hurried over and felt the pale girl's forehead. He scowled deeply, then looked to Minato. "We've got to hurry. She needs help right away."

Minato nodded and came over to them with Tsume and Kuromaru. One of the other children that was laying down sat up, one eye open and one closed in pain. He looked at the adults with his white, pupil-less eye and growled softly at them as they approached Hinata.

"Relax, Neji. They're here to help." Ino put a hand on his shoulder and shushed his growling with soft words.

"The Byakugan…" Minato said softly as he looked at Neji. "You have the Byakugan…"

That didn't settle well with Minato. Something was up. Was the child a Hyuuga? He must be. Add that with Kiba, the one with Inuzuka markings, and Sasuke, the one who looked like the Uchiha child his wife had been so fond of before their son was born….

"Oh my god…" Minato whispered as realization dawned on him. These were probably the kidnapped children of Konohagakure!

_**Ha ha ha! Minato was a bit slow. Anyways, this actually had to wait a while before I could post it… FFn was being a bastard.**_


	3. Unyeilding

_**Yes, Minato was hilariously slow. I thought it was more of his character. Forgive me if it wasn't. xD I mean, he was extremely slow in Road To Ninja, in my opinion. So instead of PMing people, I'll start replying to reviews at the end. Mew! As for quotes, up to ten quotes. So if I hit eleven chapters, I will again have one. Then so on and so on. Get it? So this one, the third chappie, will have three! Last thing, there will be point of view changes now. I will specify the character in bold underline as a transition.**_

_**WARNING: Somewhat Parental!Sasuke so yeah. Warned.**_

_Unyielding _

_Truth exists. Only lies are invented._

_-Georges Braque_

_Worry does not empty tomorrow of its sorrow. It empties today of its strength._

_-Corrie Ten Boom _

_Never believe that a few caring people can't change the world. For, indeed, that's all who ever have._

_-Margaret Mead _

**Naruto**

I opened one of my eyes and looked hazily at the shapes over Hinata. I frowned, thinking I was dreaming. Three figures were new to me. A growl interrupted me, and in my mindscape I looked to the ginger fox behind me, and the prison behind him.

"_Kit, get up! Get up! Gather all your strength and get the blond man's attention! Use my chakra, something! This is your chance!"_

"What, Kurama? Chance for what?" I asked with a frown on my whiskered face. I didn't understand what the fox was trying to get me to do. Besides, I couldn't do much more than open my eyes. I was so weak from the sickness that plagued me….

"_Sit up! He knows you, Kit! Get his attention on you, you're the one he wants most." _Kurama barked again, less demanding even though he took a few steps closer and nudged me lightly in the back. _"Just do as I say. You'll see."_

I frowned deeper at my friend, the one who rode inside me and lent me power when in need. Kurama was always with me. He taught me everything, and in turn I taught the others what they didn't know. Kurama was so smart! I loved him, and he loved me. Like…. I dunno, father and son? I actually don't know what that's like.

I always listened to him and I wasn't about to stop that habit in its tracks.

I mustered up the strength, drawing from Kurama when I found I was lacking. He didn't protest, and I remembered that he was the one who said I could. With a grunt of pain, I sat up and opened my eyes again, rubbing them quietly to clear the sleep and blurriness from them. I looked at the new figures. One a woman, and one a dog. She was close to Kiba, and I think they looked very similar too. And the third was a man.

He had similar hair to me. In fact, if my hair was a bit longer and I didn't have my whiskers, we'd be almost exactly alike. That was weird. I felt Kurama stir again, though I'm not sure why he was so active today. I heard him mumbling stuff in an almost excited tone.

Officially crept out. Good job Kurama.

It seemed to be in the late afternoon, seeing a bright yet hazy image of the sun high in the sky.

"Wazz goin' on?" I mentally cursed this sickness that made me so weak that my words were slurred. We all knew it wasn't just a common cold, but this was ridiculous! I frowned and repeated the words, more slowly and more carefully. "What's going on?"

Sakura looked at me along with Sasuke and the adults. "Lay back down. It's nothing to worry about. Did Kurama wake you, or us?"

"I was only half sleep and Kurama woke me. He told me to sit up." I replied instantly and listened as the fox got a bit angry.

"_Hey! I'm just trying to help you!"_

"Aw, shut it furball." I replied playfully, in my mindscape. I smiled my infamous goofy smile at the nine-tailed fox, who playfully rolled his eyes.

I looked at the man who looked like me. There was surprise, no, shock on his face. I wondered what was wrong. "Is something happening? Who are they?" I questioned.

Before Sasuke could answer, the man did. "My name is Minato Namikaze. I'm here to help you all. This is Tsume and Kuromaru. What's your name?" There was a painfully obvious tone of hope in the man's voice and eyes. I wasn't sure why.

"Naruto." I replied, managing to keep my voice even and normal sounding. The guy looked like he'd burst into tears right then and there. What a weird person the man with two names was. "Are you going to help us get better, Minato Namikaze?" I tested the name on my tongue, and it felt odd to say.

"Yes. And you can simply call me Minato. Hey, can I ask you a question? A very important one?" Minato said. Sasuke frowned at that. I wondered what was going through his head to make him frown. A frown meant to be cautious.

"Uh, yah." I slowly nodded. After the question, I was going back to sleep.

Minato gave a weak, somewhat forced smile. "Tell me… Is this 'Kurama' a fox that you can talk to in your mind and draw from its powers? It has nine tails, right?"

I froze, startled by the question. Everyone who had heard stopped and stared at Minato, who looked around with a sheepish face. "… Yeah….. Kurama has nine tails and is a fox. How did you know…?" I replied in a slow voice. I sounded retarded. Sasuke would get a kick out of that later.

Minato shook his head slowly. "I'll tell you later. Anyways, we should get you all back to the village. Tsume, can Kuromaru carry the sick? Or at least some of them?"

"Kuromaru can carry two." The wolf like woman nodded. "It's not a problem. Then you and I can carry the last two. Up to it, Yondaime?" Her voice held a slightly teasing tone in the last sentence. Minato gave a somewhat dramatic sigh. "Oh I don't know…"

They each chuckled a bit before getting to work. The others had already packed up everything except the blankets that we were using. Tsume and Sasuke got Hinata and Neji on Kuromaru's back comfortably.

I watched and reluctantly let Minato pick me up. He was quiet gentle, I have to say. I let my eyes sort of just flutter shut. The instant I did, I entered my mindscape. Kurama was smiling warmly. _"I told you you'd want to sit up and catch his attention."_

"What? Kurama, how does he know about you?" I asked, sounding so clueless. "And he's such a nice person."

"_He will tell you when he deems it time."_ Stupid Kurama! I want answers now though! It wasn't fair.

I guess I must have fallen asleep after that short conversation. Because when I opened my eyes, it was late night from what I could see out a window. Under me felt soft, like I was laying on a bed of moss.

Wait.

Back up a moment.

Window!?

**General Point of View**

When Naruto sat up too quickly due to his shock, Sasuke leapt to his feet. "Naruto! Relax, you're okay!" He'd known this would be the initial response from the blonde.

Naruto still looked frightened by his scare. Last time he'd been in a man-made place, he had been dragged away from the group at night because of some crazy person, and the memory wasn't very pretty. That had been the reason why Sasuke had stayed in this room and when someone asked, he'd claim he was 'Guarding my siblings just in case. I'm not a very trusting person.'

Sasuke walked over to Naruto and let the boy cringe in pain from moving too swiftly. Then he ruffled the younger boy's hair softly. "You're safe, and so is everyone else. You're in what these people call a 'medical bay'. I've come to the conclusion that it is a place where the sick or injured are placed and taken care of." He informed Naruto in hushed tones.

Hearing noise inside the room, the ANBU guard peered in. She watched them from behind her fox mask. Her eyes light up, unnoticed by anyone. So one was awake. As per orders, she called Minato quietly.

The two boys continued to talk in soft tones until Minato entered the room quietly. Sasuke snapped his head up at the sound of the man's footsteps and his hand instinctively reached for the knife he carried at his hip. Minato spotted his movement and put up a hand and put on a relaxed, warm smile. "Don't worry." He said quietly, just like the two. It was to not disturb the four other patients who were housed in the same room at Sasuke's asking. "I'm just here to check up on our first waker."

Sasuke gave a soft nod, but was still wary. He was wary of everyone who got close to his weak group members.

Minato walked closer and gently placed a hand on Naruto's forehead. Naruto blinked in confusion. "Just checking your temperature. It seems to have gone down. You're recovering quickly. It must be the Kyuubi's doing."

Naruto gave a slight shrug, then looked over at the others. All of them were asleep, Hinata twitching a few times hinting at a restless sleep.

"Are we in that village?" Naruto asked, but not Minato. It was Sasuke who Naruto asked the question too.

"Yeah." The unknowing Uchiha nodded. "And we're safe. So you can relax and go back to sleep."

Naruto merely gave a soft nod, his eyelids drooping much to the others amusement. "Mmmhmmm..." He laid back down, covering up snuggly. Minato helped him with a light touch, tucking him in. Oh did it feel wonderful to tuck a child in, Minato thought. He'd never had that pleasure more than once.

Naruto being comfortably tucked in and drifting off, Sasuke went to sit on the chairs that had been set up for him. He was sleepy too. With his mission accomplished, he was ready to settle in for the rest of the night. Minato gave yet another smile, getting a pillow and some blankets from the closet in the room. "Here, get up just a moment."

Sasuke mumbled something, but did as told. Minato swiftly made a makeshift bed with the items he'd collected, then gestured for Sasuke to lay down.

When the boy did, it was like heaven. Or at least better than the cold damp ground. He was quickly out, but sleeping lightly.

Minato chuckled silently and left the room. Before he too went to bed, he gave the ANBU outside a quick kiss, moving her mask a bit to do so. "Go home, Minato. I'll be there soon. I'm about to get someone else for watch." She said in a warm tone.

He simply nodded. "Right. Good night for now, my dear."

"Good night." She replied as he walked off. It was a great day for the both of them, and would be remembered every time they looked at the children.

_**Yes yes, very late. Blame an addiction to Minecraft in the making and lack of interest due to lack of reviews.**_

_**IT'S YOUR OWN FAULT, READERS, BECAUSE THERE WERE FEW REVIEWS! RAWR! SO REVIEW FOR QUICKER CHAPTERS! BYE!**_


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